


synthetic.

by crackedcrowns (princejellychu)



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-03-08 19:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 5,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13465092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princejellychu/pseuds/crackedcrowns
Summary: a series of ficlets and drabbles about a fallen star and a robot too human for comfort.





	1. when i wake up.

There’s a deafening boom and the sick crunch of bending metal and Changmin’s world is lost in a sudden haze of darkness and pain. 

He doesn’t remember what happened.

But he does remember voices – _it’s a miracle he’s still alive, can it be salvaged, will he be able to live a normal life after this—_ the bright lights of the hospital room he woke up in on the day he finds cybernetic limbs in place of his left arm and leg, remembers the shuddering breath and subsequent scream afterward.

His life is over, he’s convinced as a rep from his entertainment agency comes in about a week after he wakes up and discusses possible future plans with him but Changmin knows his career is over, he wishes they’d cut the shit and just tell him outright that he’ll never be able to perform again.

They deliver the news to him in the form of a professional email, offer him the position of house composer and it all leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. He declines the offer and flexes his new fingers and toes, hearing the soft  _whirr_ of circuitry coming to life.

He’s released from the hospital and into his family’s care for the first few months of recovery. They see the dramatic shift in his demeanor as he listlessly trods around his family home, the heavy  _thunk_  of his metal leg almost deafening in comparison to how quiet his footfalls used to be, how human he used to be. He figures he should be grateful that he survived, but every time he looks down, he can’t. He just can’t. His fingers don’t flex right, his metal foot is too heavy, and the circuits make too much noise.

“You’ll get used to it,” his therapist says, Changmin refuses to believe her, eyes the skin on her hands, the fingernails. No, she wouldn’t understand.

As a present for completing physical therapy, his parents order him a companion, one of the latest Humanoid models to keep him company in his lonely apartment. Changmin signs for the box and immediately walks away from it, a burning sensation welling in his chest.

_I don’t need this. I don’t need company or help or whatever. I’m not fucking helpless._

The box is huge, almost taller than he is. He stares at it as he makes his morning coffee, or tries to. His fingers still don’t flex quite right and he drops his mug and it shatters on the floor. Changmin huffs and slams his hand –the real one, not the prosthetic—on the countertop and storms into his bedroom.

That was his favorite mug.

A few weeks later, Changmin decides to open the box. As he removes the thick layers of Styrofoam and packing peanuts, a small sheaf of paper falls out. He bends and picks it up.

“Instruction manual for model JYH0019860206,” he reads, “Humanoid name, Yunho.” He pulls the last piece of Styrofoam away and stares. The robot -Yunho- is, for a lack of a better word, pretty. He runs his hand over its face and its eyes open, a pretty sky blue color as it boots up. Changmin backs away as Yunho finishes his boot sequence and blinks at him curiously.

“Erm, hello.” Changmin tries. Yunho’s gaze locks onto his, eyes now a warm shade of brown.

“Hello.” Yunho responds, smiling. He steps out of the box and stands chest to chest with Changmin, “My name is Yunho and I am your Humanoid companion.”

“And as my companion, what do you do?”

Yunho frowns, “Whatever you want me to do.”

“Would you love me if I asked?”

“Love is illogical, it means nothing to me.”

“Fair enough,” Changmin sighs, “well, how about we play some video games then?”


	2. tension.

Having a robot for a roommate, Changmin decides, isn’t so bad. 

He currently has his leg propped on one of his huge accent pillows, his foot in Yunho’s lap as the, Changmin isn’t exactly sure what he should call him—does Yunho even classify as a cyborg? He’s all robot underneath soft artificial skin and hair, Changmin read the schematics. Either way, he watches as Yunho peers inside of his artificial ankle, his eyes bright as he takes a screwdriver and turns something inside, occasionally eying the loose connectors and wires at the end of Changmin’s leg. A few minutes later and Yunho is gently reattaching the foot.

Changmin gives it an experimental twist, shakes the numbness out, and wiggles his toes.

“Good?” Yunho asks, screwdriver still in hand. Changmin nods, still flexing his toes, no traces of the excruciating tightness that was there before.

“Better than good, this feels almost…”  _Natural._ Changmin clears his throat, “So, do you think you can do anything with my hand? I can’t get my fingers to flex right, can’t even ball ‘em into a fist.” He holds his hand up in front of Yunho’s face and shows him. Yunho takes Changmin’s hand in his, carefully unscrews the tiny screws around the wrist joint, and gently disconnects the hand. He blinks and Changmin can see his pupils glow as he scans the appendage’s part and manufacturer number and sets the screwdriver down, picking up the smallest wrench Changmin has ever seen in his life. He opens up a small panel beneath each of his phalanges and loosens tiny bolts, flexing the fingers and loosening until they can form a fist. He repeats the same process as he did with Changmin’s foot. He gently reattaches the connectors and proper wires before firmly setting the hand back into the wrist joint and screwing it back into place. Changmin barely gets a chance to test his new fingers before Yunho is reaching for the back of his neck, underneath his hair, pinching the vertebra and something in him recalibrates as he jerks up, back ramrod straight.

“That should do it.” Yunho says. Changmin blinks away fog and gently touches the back of his neck. Oh right, he had receptors there, a ‘soft reset’ button for his limbs.

His cybernetic limbs, a constant reminder of his loss.

Changmin’s good mood sours.  He thanks Yunho and heads straight for his bedroom, his gait still a little uneven, but nowhere near as heavy as it had been. The dull, metallic  _clunk_  of his foot not as loud in his ears. He turns the knob to his bedroom door, and dives headlong into the bed, waking Mandoong, and pulling the soft, silver comforter over his head.

“I’m still human,” he mutters to himself.  _Only 82.54% human, but still human._


	3. somebody else might take my place.

Changmin doesn’t realize how much his life has changed until his sleeve rides up as he reaches for a jar on the highest shelf. He smiles at the small girl next to him, frowning when her face morphs into confusion and then mild horror.

“Cyborg…” she gasps as she backs away. The aisle gets so quiet you can hear a pin drop and all eyes are on him. He hurriedly tries to pull the sleeve of his hoodie over the sliver of steel with his good hand, but it’s too late. People turn their carts around and scurry away from him. He grabs the jar he was looking for, tosses it into his basket and moves along quietly.

He doesn’t know what he’s more upset about, the fact that no one recognized him, or the fact that they see him as something less than human now.

“A cyborg, huh?” saying the word himself doesn’t make it hurt any less. He hurries through the checkout line and leaves without collecting his change.

Yunho is sitting on the couch when Changmin bursts through the door, face red and lips set in a severe line. He opens his mouth to greet the man and Changmin lets the bag in his hand fall to the ground as he makes his way to the bathroom. Yunho hears the door slam, and looks at the bag on the floor. Something inside is broken and leaking onto the floor.

Yunho supposes he should clean that up before it stains.

* * *

 

_Cyborg, cyborg, cyborg._

He can’t get that little girl’s voice out of his head. He stares at himself in the mirror, His face is imperfect, his skin is littered with stubble and acne scars, there’s no glow in the back of his eyes like there is in Yunho’s. He’s human.

_Cyborg._

His heart isn’t mechanical, it pumps blood, not a steady stream of biofuel. His lungs hold air because they _have_ to, not as a cosmetic effect.

_Cyborg._

He looks at the steel hand on the sink next to the one made of flesh, bone, and muscle.

_Cyborg._

Society didn’t treat them kindly at all, demoting them to a status of second-class citizens, why should he get special treatment just because he’s an idol? Well, former idol now.

_Cyborg._

He wishes they’d left him broken.

_Cyborg._

His fist slams into the mirror, hunks of glass slide into the sink. The steel of his hand doesn’t even have a scratch.

_Cyborg._

Changmin screams.


	4. cut me open, sew me shut.

Yunho isn’t as new and shiny as he presents himself to be.

And just because Yunho is a Humanoid and therefore does not possess a human brain, does not mean that the manufacturers have checked his memory storage or wiped it clean.

Yunho is not brand new, he is a used model, refurbished if you will.

Yunho has  _scars._ Underneath the fresh coat of synthetic skin, there are dents and dings and tears that have been glossed over with new circuitry, vinyl, and flesh colored resin.

He remembers how he got them all; the ones on his forehead, cheek, and the corner of his eye are all from his first trip away from the assembly line. Yunho didn’t understand then, but many people don’t particularly like his kind and would order him to jump off of things and land on piles of glass, or tip bookshelves over onto him after they told him to get a book from a high shelf.

They sent him back with a complaint, he was shelved, reworked with updated software and a fresh coat of skin, and sent on his merry way again.

This time they cut his throat to see how his vocal chords worked, why he seemed so  _human_.

They sent him back, throat slashed and all, with a note on the inside that said.  _Too close to human for comfort._

Again he is shelved and recalibrated. But this time he doesn’t leave again, not for a long while.

They’ve rolled out new models, ones with better endoskeletons, better processing software, softer skin.

Yunho stands in front of the sink with the shards of broken mirror inside. Changmin has found himself into a particularly fitful sleep if the constant shift of limbs and covers means anything. Yunho picks up a piece of the glass with his left hand and looks at the reflection of his right eye.

With his right hand, he scratches at face until the resin peels.

They didn’t do a particularly good job of covering them up.


	5. scars.

When Changmin wakes up and uses the bathroom, the first thing he notices is false skin and droplets of biofuel in his sink. The glass is gone. He stares at his hand, not a scratch.

“Yunho?” he calls, heart thudding, wondering if the Humanoid somehow managed to hurt himself, “Yunho!?”

The sound of footsteps immediately calms him, but when Yunho sticks his head in the bathroom after knocking softly, Changmin is dumbfounded.

“Yunho,” he mumbles, walking toward the robot, hands out and surprisingly steady, “what did you do to your face?”

Yunho’s gone and peeled the entire fresh layer of synthetic skin from his face and neck and Changmin can see the seams from where he’s been soldered back together.

Yunho shrugs, “I’m not a new model.”

“Huh?” Changmin is confused.

“I’m not a new model, I’ve been shelved and recalibrated a few times.” Yunho repeats, “They just soldered me back together and gave me new skin every time I came back to the factory, didn’t even bother to reset my memory. This is what I really look like.”

Changmin raises an eyebrow, “A robot with scars, huh?” He wonders if his parents know about this, but sees the look on Yunho’s face and knows that they had no clue. Somehow, that makes him feel a little better. He hears a light dripping noise, and sees that Yunho still has a piece of glass clutched in his hand. “Mm. Let’s get your hand fixed up.”

Yunho looks down at his oozing hand. He totally forgot about that.

“Oh.”


	6. tempo.

They’ve broken new ground, Yunho thinks. **  
**

After he peeled his new face off and subsequently sliced his hand open in an attempt to relate to Changmin, the other man takes the time to speak to him during the day now.

“Hey Yunho, do you like coffee? Can you even drink coffee?” Changmin asks, coming out of the kitchen, two steaming mugs in hand. Yunho looks up from staring at the television screen and nods. Changmin hasn’t covered his arms or legs up in a few days, Yunho thinks he may be gaining some sort of confidence in himself again.

“Yes, I can.” Changmin nods and sits a mug in front of him before crashing beside him on the couch. Yunho picks up his mug and blows on it, even though he doesn’t have to.

“Hey, um…” Changmin starts, but is interrupted by Mangdoong trotting in and jumping into Yunho’s lap, or trying her hardest to. Yunho puts his mug down and picks her up, scratching behind her ears.

“Yes?”

“What do you think about me going back to work?”

Yunho raises his eyebrows, “Do you want to go back?”

Changmin scratches the back of his head, “I mean, I originally declined the position they offered me, since performing with cybernetic limbs is entirely out of the question for idols. But maybe I could learn to like the house composer position.”

“You love music right?” Yunho asks. Changmin nods and takes a sip of his coffee. “Then you should do it. What’s stopping you?”

Changmin thinks about that, what  _is_  stopping him? He looks down at his arm and leg and decides.

 _Nothing_.


	7. 404 (error.)

Yunho doesn’t know what love is. **  
**

He doesn’t understand what love is, love is not something that can be programmed into his databases. He can like things, and dislike things, but he cannot love. And for the first time since becoming Changmin’s companion, he feels _upset_.

He watches Changmin contact the entertainment company, with a look of determination on his face that changes into elation as the CEO tells him exactly what he wants to hear. Watches as Changmin pulls out file boxes full of staff paper and spend hours and hours scribbling lyrics, humming tunes, and plucking riffs on his guitar that take shape and become something more, something beautiful.

Yunho doesn’t understand passion, doesn’t know what it feels like to love something so fiercely that it causes Changmin to lose sleep and down entire pots of coffee and ask Yunho to fix his hand while he’s writing in a notebook with his other.

Yunho doesn’t understand any of it, but Changmin is happy, productive, functioning. It’s like watching fresh flowers starting to bloom after a long winter frost.

He can’t really feel love, it’s too abstract of an emotion.

He wishes he could.

He wishes he could.


	8. introjection.

Changmin wins an award.

Well, he doesn’t win an award, the artist who sings his lyrics does, but it ends up getting him invited to the end of year award ceremonies.

He considers not going, but the CEO insists that he does. Something about boosting his public opinion. Changmin scoffs. The public hates robots and flat out discriminates against people with cybernetic limbs. They hate him now, his stardom notwithstanding.

Plus, he doesn’t own a suit that fits correctly with his new limbs.

(The company sends one with his new measurements right to his door.)

Yunho watches the awards ceremony on the couch, by himself. He sees Changmin in the audience, the silver steel of his hand glinting as he claps politely with a smile on his face.

Changmin really does belong out there with them. Not holed up in his apartment with him.

He sighs and turns the tv off.

Changmin notices a change.

Notices how the Humanoid skulks around the house in an angsty funk, reminiscent of his own a few months ago.

 _Can robots get depressed?_ he wonders.


	9. depression.

Changmin’s had enough.

He walks into his living room, seeing Yunho on the couch, staring at the tv listlessly. He stands in front on the tv, in front of Yunho, and puts his hand out.

“C’mon,” he says, “let’s go for a walk.”

Yunho’s never been on a walk before, never interacted with people outside of his owners and the people they let into their homes. Being outside, feeling the actual wind on his face and sun on his skin is an entirely new experience. He sees people walking their dogs, girls in groups talking animatedly with one another, couples eating together in restaurants. People living life, not even looking twice at him.

It makes him even sadder.

Changmin huffs beside him. “Yunho, what’s the matter?” Yunho slows down and looks at him, his hands are balled into fists and stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket, shoulders up around his ears. He’s not comfortable out here.

“I don’t know.” Yunho answers.

“Don’t gimme that shit, you’ve been moping around the house for weeks now. What’s the matter?”

Yunho shrugs, “Never been outside before.” He tries to change the subject, and by the way Changmin pauses and gapes at him for a second, he thinks he’s succeeded.

“Not once?”

“Never. No one ever wanted to take me outside, didn’t wanna be seen with me.” Changmin sighs.

“Society isn’t very kind to those like us, you know. Robots aren’t natural.”

“But Changmin, you aren’t a robot. You’re human.”

“Not since the accident I’m not.”

Yunho feels something bubble inside of him, something strong, intense even. He grabs Changmin’s shoulder and makes him look at him.

“Changmin, you’re human. You feel real emotion, you eat, you breathe because you have to. You don’t have miles of circuitry holding you together. You don’t have fu–fucking,” he stops to collect himself, “software programmed into that tells you what to say, how to respond to stimuli, how to process information and somehow execute it as emotion. You have a brain, you have a  _heart_. You’re more human than I’ll ever  _be_.” Yunho drops his hand and turns away.

Changmin is speechless.


	10. revelations.

Changmin looks at himself in the mirror, touches his face with both hands. He’s warm under both of them. So his prosthetic  _ does  _ have heat detection, it’s very faint, but it’s there. He stares at the lights above the mirror for a long time; so long he sees spots. He runs his flesh and blood hand over the prosthetic, feels it whirr softly. He can feel where the palm of his hand presses against it through the metal. Huh. 

“They did a good job, feels just like--”  _ just like the real one.  _ Changmin’s had his cybernetics for months and never realized he’d gotten used to them. They fit him now. Hell, the metal hand even  _ aches _ like the real one used to when he overexerts himself. He frowns.

Yunho’s always been a robot, never been anything else. He wonders what it’s like to be made of metal, glass, and rubber; to be programmed with everything, have everything installed onto a blank slate and call it his  _ mind,  _ his very  _ being. _

It doesn’t sound very different from being human, after all. 


	11. anticlimax.

Changmin finally makes a decision. He walks out into his living room, finding Yunho son the couch with Mangdoong in his lap. He stands in front of the tv and stares Yunho down.

 

“Yes?” Yunho asks, meeting Changmin’s stare. Mangdoong jumps off his lap and scurries into the kitchen.

 

“What makes you not human?” Changmin asks.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“What makes you not human?”

 

“Well, I was created in a factory for one.”

 

“Details, details. Babies are created in labs nowadays, gimme something else.”

 

“I don’t have bones, just metal rods, wires, and circuits.”

 

“Same thing, just inorganic material.”

 

Yunho snorts, “Fine. I had to be programmed to be human, otherwise I’m just a heap of scrap.”

 

Changmin’s eyes narrow, “Don’t give me that bullshit. All humans have to be programmed to learn what to say, how to respond, how to process information and execute it as emotion.”

 

“You have a brain. I don’t.”

 

“A brain is just an organic CPU, Yunho.”

 

Yunho stares at him, eyes cold and bright, “You can love. I can’t.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because tvxq blessed me with this comeback, have this a couple of days early!
> 
> thank y'all for reading, you guys really make my day!


	12. strain.

Changmin does some research on Humanoids and by a sheer stroke of luck, finds Yunho’s manual.

“Model JYH0019860206,” Changmin mutters to himself, “Yunho, is a second generation Humanoid model. It is the only one of this particular model ever made. Mm.” He skims through the paragraphs until he comes across something interesting. “Yunho was the first model to have the introductory love software installed and programmed into its AI, but was removed after many malfunctions, including complete lockups during testing. This software may still be in its Humanoid files, but it is not recommended to run it if a manual reboot is ever necessary, as it may render the Humanoid completely useless.” He sniffs, “We no longer supply technical support for this model.”

 

* * *

 

_ Error: File path incomplete or not found. _

Yunho takes a deep breath.  _ Okay, again. _

_ Error: H:\SYSYNHO\Programs\A000143.exe cannot be opened. _

Yunho grits his teeth.  _ Fuck. _

He can try again later.


	13. glitch.

Yunho’s acting weird. He doesn’t think Changmin’s noticed, but he has.

Yunho’s been losing track of time and forgetting simple things like Mangdoong’s name. His movements are jilted like his joints are rusty and stuck; and he has these weird spells where he’ll like….shut down in the middle of a conversation and go completely blank and Changmin can hear the soft sounds of his boot sequence.

Yunho’s crashing, and Changmin can only think of one reason why. But, can Yunho even _do_ that? And if he could?

"Why would he?"

 

* * *

 

Fuck.

Yunho hopes Changmin doesn’t notice. But who is he kidding, Changmin notices everything.

_System File Repair Tool: H:\SYSYNHO\Programs\A000143.exe has been successfully repaired._


	14. lies.

Changmin’s suspicious.

He doesn’t say anything outright, but he knows Yunho’s up to something. Yunho’s been...cagey--for lack of a better word--for a week now. Who knew robots were so good at keeping secrets?

But, is it a secret if Changmin never asks?

So he asks.

“Yunho, you’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”

If Yunho could sweat without short circuiting something, he’d be sweating buckets right now. “I would.” he lies through his teeth.

Changmin sighs.


	15. run.

_ Do you wish to run this software? _

Does he?

_ Does he? _

He shuts his eyes.

Mangdoong scurries from the room.

_ Running A000143.exe… _


	16. blue screen.

Something’s wrong. 

Something is very fucking wrong.

_ Error code HU00x104872. Installation could not be completed. _

_ Humanoid software unable to boot properly. Please restart. _

 

* * *

__

Changmin looks up from the audio mixer to wave at the artist in the booth, “Alright, that’s good. We’re done.” There’s a weird prickling on the back of his neck and a floating feeling in his stomach. He stands and stretches, but the feeling remains, like something’s wrong.  _ Like he shouldn’t have left Yunho alone. _

The look on his face must be telling because Minho gives him a look and asks, “Are you okay?”

Changmin scrambles for his jacket and car keys, “Yeah, I just--I gotta go, okay?” And rushes out the door.

_ Something’s wrong. _

_ Something is very fucking wrong. _


	17. crash.

It’s dark in the apartment; so quiet you could hear a speck of dust drop. Changmin moves a hand across the wall and flips the light switch and nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight of Yunho, on the floor and unresponsive.

“Oh shit,” Changmin scrambles over, “shit, shit  _ shit _ \--Yunho?!” He drops to his knees and checks Yunho over, his eyes are wide open, but the faint, sky blue light in them is gone. He shakes Yunho, “Hey, hey, get up! Wake up, Yunho!” Mangdoong walks over to Changmin, sensing his distress and whines low in her throat. Changmin lets Yunho go and stands. “Okay, okay. What can I do, what can I do?” He grabs at his hair, “Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!”

Then it hits him.

_ The instruction manual. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know. where have i been? college is tough, adulting is very hard, and i may or may not have reached critical mass during my finals. but, here i am! alive and well! did y'all miss me?
> 
> anywho, thank y'all for reading! your support continuously makes my day!


	18. incomplete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double update :)

_The Humanoid is a successfully, self sustaining Android. However, in the rare case that an error occurs, please refer to this troubleshooting guide. If this guide does not solve the problem, please contact LSM Robotics or a licensed Humanoid repair center._

_Humanoid Does Not Start:_

  * __Check power level. Battery life is displayed on a small display on the inner bicep.__


  * _If power is low, please connect your Humanoid to the charger._


  * _When the battery is full, power the Humanoid back on by pinching the power switches located on either side of the first vertebrae._



Changmin checks Yunho’s battery; it’s full. He reaches up to the back of Yunho’s neck, feels for the power switches and presses. Yunho’s eyes glow sky blue for a moment--Changmin holds his breath--and dim again. He tries it again, and this time he hears a faint beeping--three short beeps in rapid succession. He looks at the manual again.

_Advanced: Beep Codes_

_If you have tried powering on your Humanoid and it emits a series of faint beeps, it may be emitting a beep code. (See page 95 for details.)_

  * _1 short beep: Normal boot sequence._
  * _2 short beeps: Image capturing software failure._
  * _3 short beeps: BIOS corruption or failure._



Changmin doesn’t read any further down the list, but instead scrolls to page ninety five.

Page ninety five doesn’t exist. The .pdf is incomplete.


	19. lifeline.

Naver suddenly becomes Changmin’s best friend. He locks himself away in his apartment, searching desperately for the rest of Yunho’s instruction manual, but comes back with nothing. That was the only digital copy of his manual available, Yunho didn’t come with a manual in his box, just a quick start guide. Yunho’s been out for two days now and Changmin’s getting desperate.

“Humanoid repair centers,” he mumbles, scratching his shoulder. His prosthetic arm is starting to hurt him again. He scrolls and scrolls, but comes up with nothing yet again. “Fuck.” he grumbles. There’s gotta be a solution to this. He looks at his phone and sighs, “Dammit.”

When all else fails, Changmin has only one option.

He has to call Kyuhyun.


	20. missing.

It’s cold in Changmin’s apartment; it’s quiet, lifeless except for Mangdoong and his own moping. He still hasn’t called Kyuhyun. Yunho’s lying in the bed in his guest room. His prosthetics feel heavy.  _ He  _ feels heavy.

He never realized it before, but it’s so nice to have someone to come home to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know. where the hell have i been? 
> 
> i haven't really been feeling all that great, and my dog died a couple weeks ago so...that's been a thing.
> 
> i know it's not a friday, but i hate to keep y'all waiting.
> 
> as always, thank y'all for reading! y'all's comments and kudos always make my day!


	21. ambivalence.

“Did hell freeze over? Are you really calling me of your own free will right now?”

“Kyuhyun.”

“...What’s wrong?”

“What do you know about fixing a Humanoid?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i keep disappearing and reappearing with no real formal warning. life comes at you fast sometimes.  
> we're approaching the end of this tale soon.  
> as always thanks for reading!


	22. ties.

Kyuhyun doesn’t come alone. 

“Heechul?” Changmin is dumbfounded. What could  _ Heechul  _ possibly do to help in this situation? Then Changmin notices something, a faint, sky blue glow in the back of Heechul’s eyes. “No. No fucking way.”

Heechul smiles, “Yes fucking way.” He makes his way over to where Changmin has managed to prop Yunho up against the couch. 

Heechul clicks his tongue, “Oh Yunho,” he sighs, “of course it would be you.”

What?

“What?” Changmin and Kyuhyun start at the same time.

“Heechul, you know him?” Changmin asks. This doesn’t even make sense, Heechul’s been at the agency for  _ years _ , how did he never notice? How could he possibly even know Yunho?

_ But Yunho isn’t a new model.  _ The thought enters Changmin’s mind as Heechul opens his mouth again to answer his question.

“We went through R&D together--research and development, I mean.” Heechul starts, his fingers on the back of Yunho’s neck, “We’re completely different models--I’m meant to be completely independent, whereas Yunho is a companion unit. We were the only ones of our specific models made.” Yunho’s eyes glow and dim again, and Heechul frowns. He moves Yunho away from the couch, positioning himself so he can see the back of Yunho’s head. 

“Changmin, do you have a small screwdriver?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looks like things are starting to look up, or are they?
> 
> as always, i love y'all and thanks for reading! y'all's comments and kudos make my day!
> 
> if you wanna hang out with me on the internet you can find me on twitter or tumblr @jazthestampede!


	23. recovery.

_Error: System file YH0T1986Vx0sq.exe has been compressed. Open command prompt?_

_Open cmd_

_H:\SYSYNHO >huconfig_

_[$SYS Reset]   [Perf Logs]   [Directory]_

_HUJYH0019860206 ver. 1.0000432.196_

_H:\SYSYNHO >sys64_

_H:\SYSYNHO\sys64 >recover file yh0t1986vx0q.exe_

_System override required_

_H:\ >OR_THSK20031225LSM_

_Recovering………100%_

_H:\ >configbios_

_System override required_

_H:\ >OR_THSK20031225LSM_

_H:\SYSYNHO\BIOS >repair bios_

_Repairing……….100%_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. only one chapter left now, i think.


	24. reboot.

Changmin waits with bated breath as Heechul closes and screws the back panel of Yunho’s head shut before pinching the reset receptors on the back of his neck.

“If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what else will.” Heechul mutters.

“How do you know how to fix him in the first place?” Kyuhyun asks.

Heechul waves his hand in front of Yunho’s face, “Like I said, we went through R&D together. It’s not hard to read the code on each other’s screens. He knows how to fix me too, in case I’m ever incapacitated.” Heechul smirks, “I guess that compassion and camaraderie software works better than they expected. Robots forming bonds with other robots, bet they never saw that one coming.”

“Uh, Heechul?” Changmin interrupts, “He’s not coming to life.”

Heechul’s attention snaps back to Yunho, and he waves his hand in front of his face again. The familiar blue light comes on and Yunho’s eyes open slightly before closing again, “Shit.” He turns to Changmin, “Wave your hand in front of his face, You’re the one he imprinted on.”

“What?”

Heechul rolls his eyes, “He’s _your_ Humanoid. Remember when you waved your hand in front of his face?” Changmin nods, “Well, that was you registering your fingerprints into his database.” Heechul holds up his own hands, “I don’t have fingerprints.”

Changmin gulps and waves his hand in front of Yunho’s face.

Yunho’s eyes open and they’re a pretty sky blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one thing left now.


	25. reset.

There’s something wrong here.

Yunho knows this apartment, he knows Changmin, he _knows_ Mangdoong.

Why can’t he remember anything?

“Yunho,” Changmin asks, scratching the back of his head with his prosthetic arm, “are you okay?”

Yunho smiles, “Yeah. Never better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a beautiful ride, y'all.  
> thanks for taking it with me :)

**Author's Note:**

> my friends bullied me into posting this. to be fair, i should've done it years ago.


End file.
